China Solar Installations More Than Double in First Half

China built nearly 31 gigawatts (GW) of new solar power capacity from January to June, up 137% from a year earlier, with full-year installations on course to hit a record high, an industry group said on Thursday.

Wang Bohua, Honorary President of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said in a presentation that the total solar power capacity increased by 25.8% compared to last year, reaching 340 GW. Total installations over the year are expected to be between 75 GW and 90 GW in 2022, Wang said, beating last year’s record of 54.9 GW.

Despite tariffs and trade sanctions from the United States, India and Europe, China’s solar equipment exports also increased during the period, with the total value more than doubled to 25.9 billion yuan ($3.83 billion). China is currently developing large-scale renewable energy bases in desert regions, while aiming to increase its total wind and solar capacity from 635 GW at the end of last year to 1,200 GW by the end of 10 years.